The Dublin Array project team is preparing a planning application for the Dublin Array development, including the Onshore Electrical System and associated engineering works such as the landfall at Shanganagh Cliffs, onshore export cable corridor to Ballyogan, and connection to the Carrickmines substation, with submission to An Bord Pleanála planned for the latter part of 2024.
By August 2024, the project team for the Dublin Array onshore electrical system had defined and optimised the preferred onshore export cable corridor for the grid connection between the Shanganagh Cliffs landfall and the new Ballyogan onshore substation adjacent to the existing Carrickmines 220 kV substation. The approximately 8 km corridor, refined following public consultations in 2020 and 2023, comprises two buried three‑phase 220 kV circuits in separate trenches largely within public roads and lands, incorporates trenchless installation at key crossings, and includes a Transition Joint Bay at Shanganagh Cliffs and joint bays along the route, all designed to EirGrid specifications and forming the basis of the forthcoming planning application.
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Dublin Array Export is the onshore/offshore 220 kV AC export system intended to bring power from the Dublin Array offshore wind development (Kish and Bray Banks) to the Irish transmission network. The export system comprises two buried submarine export cables (each a three‑phase 220 kV circuit) w...
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Dublin Array onshore electrical system, Dublin Array OES, Dublin Array Carrickmines grid connection, Dublin Array Ballyogan substation connection, Dublin Array Carrickmines 220 kV connection
Following public consultations held in 2020 and 2023, the Dublin Array team optimised sections of the preferred onshore export cable corridor between the Shanganagh Cliffs landfall and the proposed onshore substation at Ballyogan/Carrickmines, incorporating local stakeholder feedback into the detailed routing of the 220 kV underground circuits.
An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) for the Dublin Array development, covering the proposed Onshore Electrical System and its environmental effects, is being prepared to accompany the planning application that is planned for submission to An Bord Pleanála in the latter part of 2024.
A second round of Dublin Array public consultation was held in spring 2023, during which the project team engaged with local communities on updated plans, including optimisation of the preferred onshore export cable corridor and onshore electrical system, and gathered feedback to inform the forthcoming planning application.
EirGrid completed and subsequently updated a Grid Connection Assessment for the Dublin Array onshore electrical system, with the March 2023 update confirming and agreeing a 220 kV grid connection at the existing Carrickmines substation, allowing the project’s onshore export system design to progress based on this connection point.
A Maritime Area Consent (MAC) was awarded to Dublin Array in December 2022, enabling the project—including its offshore infrastructure such as export cables and offshore substations—to progress through further development and design stages.
In autumn 2020, RWE Renewables Ireland and Saorgus Energy held the first Dublin Array public consultation, including a public exhibition in October–November 2020, to present project background, onshore and offshore construction plans—including the onshore electrical system—and to gather community feedback ahead of future planning applications.
By October 2020, RWE Renewables Ireland and Saorgus Energy had commenced marine vessel traffic surveys and associated data collection for the Dublin Array project, using radar and visual observation to understand marine traffic patterns and stakeholder requirements in the area around the Kish and Bray Banks, informing the design of the offshore wind farm and associated offshore infrastructure including export cable routes.
Between 2018 and 2023, the Dublin Array project team carried out environmental assessments and project design work, progressing the definition of the offshore wind farm and associated transmission infrastructure, including the onshore electrical system and grid connection, as shown in the project’s projected timeline.
In March 2018, innogy Renewables Ireland Ltd, a subsidiary of innogy SE (later renamed RWE Renewables Ireland Ltd), entered into a joint partnership with Saorgus Energy Ltd to lead the development of the Dublin Array project. This joint venture structure established the two companies as co‑developers responsible for progressing Dublin Array, including its associated grid connection infrastructure and onshore electrical works.
In 2006, the Dublin Array project team submitted a Foreshore Lease application to the Department of Planning, Housing and Local Government to construct the Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm, a prerequisite regulatory step for developing the offshore site and associated infrastructure that will ultimately include the export connection to shore.
The 2024 Dublin Array onshore electrical system brochure presents a projected project timeline in which a future "Construction starts" milestone follows public consultations, planning application submission to An Bord Pleanála, and consent award. This construction phase will include onshore works for the Dublin Array Onshore Electrical System, notably the landfall works at Shanganagh Cliffs, installation of the ~8 km onshore 220 kV export cable corridor largely in public roads and lands, and construction of the new Ballyogan onshore substation and its underground 220 kV connection to the existing Carrickmines substation. No specific calendar year is given for the start of these onshore works, and they remain in the planning stage.
In the 2024 project information brochure, RWE Renewables Ireland outlines a projected Dublin Array timeline that includes a future "Construction starts" milestone after key development and consent steps. For the Dublin Array Export system this construction phase will encompass offshore transmission works such as installation of the buried offshore export cables from the offshore substation platforms towards the Shanganagh Cliffs landfall using ploughing, trenching or jetting, and associated offshore electrical infrastructure. The documents describe these offshore construction methods but do not state that offshore works have begun or provide a specific start date, indicating that offshore construction is still planned rather than underway.
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